Bringing Up Baby
by Marissalyn
Summary: The sequel to Like Mothers Like Daughter.
1. The Tooth Fairy

Carmilla sat in her home office trying to get some work done; editing some old guy's novel for him. She normally didn't mind editing, hell it was her job, and normally she got handed novels that were decent, but she pissed her boss off last week by setting up her own deadlines and in return he gave her this political non-fiction crap. She leaned back in her chair, blowing out an exaggerated sigh up at her bangs.

Laura was at work, and she had to pick Carter up from kindergarten in an hour. Then she would help Carter with her homework before getting started on dinner.

Carmilla tapped her fingers along the desk, pursing her lips in thought. She looked over the file she had up on her laptop before deciding that she wasn't going to get anymore of it done today. Steven would just have to shove it.

XXX

"Mommy, mommy, mommy!" Carter chanted as she ran up to Carmilla, jumping into her arms as she latched her arms and legs around the vampire.

"What's up, monkey butt?" Carmilla asked as she nodded towards Ms. Bodenstein and turned to leave, making sure to wrap her arms around her little girl so she wouldn't fall.

Carter giggled, "I'm not a monkey's butt!"

Carmilla chuckled, "Oh no? My apologies Miss Hollstein, I didn't realize I was in the presence of such royalty."

Laura liked to call Carter princess, which of course went straight to the five year olds head.

Carter giggled once more as they reached the car. She squirmed out of Carmilla's arms, claiming that she could buckle herself in.

Carmilla checked all her buckles; clicking into place the ones she missed, before pressing a kiss to Carter's nose. "Must protect the princess for one day she'll be queen."

Carter shook her head, "You and Mama are the queens."

Carmilla nodded, they've had this discussion before. "Yes, but if we don't eat our peas, we lose the right to our crowns."

XXX

Carmilla set Carter up at the kitchen table as she grabbed her a juice pouch and a packet of fruit snacks.

"Mommy?"

Carmilla looked up from where she was chopping onions. "Yes, baby?"

"Are teeth supposed to wiggle?" Carter asked, a curious tremor in her voice.

Carmilla nearly cut her own finger off. "What?" she set down the knife, licking the drop of blood from the knick in the pad of her thumb as she did so. She moved around the counter and quickly kneeled down next to Carter. "Let me see."

The little girl opened her mouth and pushed her tongue against one of her front teeth; it moved with her tongue before swinging back into place.

Carmilla sighed in relief; it was just a loose baby tooth.

"Mommy, it hurts." Carter whined.

Carmilla thought of quickly just plucking it out of her gum for her, it was already half out by itself, but she knew if she even thought about doing it Laura would have her head. Her girlfriend would be very upset to find that she missed Carter losing her first baby tooth.

"Let's wait for Mama to get home, and then maybe we can get it out of there for you." Carmilla assured her, before standing back up and directing Carter back to doing her homework.

XXX

Laura returned home that evening with her arms full of research papers she had printed off at work. She slipped out of her heels and dropped off her bag and papers in her office, before following the sound of giggling into the kitchen.

Carmilla was sitting at the table with Carter as the little girl told her a story about how Sawyer had let her play with the markers today instead of just watching him draw.

Laura smiled at the interaction before meeting Carmilla's eyes when the vampire sat back in her chair to take a sip from her glass.

"Well hello there, beautiful." Carmilla greeted, standing from her seat and moving around the kitchen table to reach Laura. She pressed a gentle kiss to Laura's lips before leaning up and whispering into her girlfriend's ear. "Carter has a loose tooth."

Laura's eyes widened, "What?"

Carmilla nearly smacked herself upside the head; she really needed to word things properly. "She's going to lose her first baby tooth soon."

Laura looked over at Carter before looking back to Carmilla. "Is it hurting her?"

Carmilla shrugged, "She said it did, but once I got her talking she stopped noticing it. I was going to pull it out for her, but I figured you'd want to be here for it."

Laura nodded her thanks; "Well we might want to do it before dinner."

Carmilla mirrored Laura's nod, and moved over to Carter. "Hey bumblebee, ready for that tooth to come out?"

Carter nodded her head, smiling nervously. "Is it gonna hurt?" she asked.

Carmilla shook her head, "Only for a moment." Once she got Carter's approval, she moved over to the sink to wash her hands. She knelt down in front of Carter's chair and asked her to open her mouth so she could grab a hold of the tooth, and with a quick tug, held the small tooth out for Carter to see. "See, that wasn't so bad was it?" she asked her daughter.

Carter shook her head, gazing down at the tooth. "Can I hold it?" she asked, looking up into Carmilla's eyes.

Carmilla dropped the tiny bone into the small five year olds hand.

Carter stared down at it, amazed.

"Now, tonight when you go to bed you can put it under your pillow and the tooth fairy will come and leave you money for it." Laura said as she moved over to sit beside Carter at the table.

Carmilla smiled as she stood up and moved over to the counter to pour Laura a glass of wine and to pull dinner out of the oven.

"Wow, really?" Carter asked, astonished by what her mother was explaining to her.

Laura chuckled, nodding her head, "You bet, but you have to be asleep in order for them to come."

"Whoa." was the only thing Carter could think to say in return.

Carmilla handed Laura her glass and pressed a kiss to her temple, before saying, "Dinner's ready."

XXX

The next morning, Carmilla was curled up in Laura's arms, her face pressed into the shorter girl's clavicle, when the sound of scampering feet echoed from the hallway. "Mommy, Mama, look, look!" Carter shouted as she rounded into their bedroom holding a quarter high and proud in her tiny fist.

Carmilla grinned into Laura's skin as she mumbled a, "Climb into bed and give me a few hours more of sleep you little gremlin."

Laura let out a breathy laugh still foggy with sleep as they felt the mattress dip as their little girl clambered up into the bed and plopped herself in between the two of them.

Carmilla retaliated by grabbing a hold of Carter's waist, and pulling her into her side and pressing her lips into her shoulder, blowing a raspberry.

Carter squealed, trying to squirm her way out of the hold all while calling for Laura to help her. "Mama, Mommy's being gross!"

Laura giggled, "Just let it be princess, it's just the way she is."

Next thing Laura knew, she was the one receiving a raspberry.


	2. Trouble

Two days later Carter was complaining again of a loose tooth, and to Laura's confusion the tooth she had already lost had been fully replaced.

"This isn't normal Carm, why is she losing all of her teeth?" Laura asked that night once Carter had gone to bed.

Carmilla was pacing at the foot of the bed, worry etched across her face; she was deep in thought. It couldn't be true, it just couldn't be. Mother had only spoken about them in hushed whispers with William when she thought Carmilla was too caught up in a book to listen. It was legend, hogwash. Even mother herself had never come into contact with one. They were always killed before they aged. It couldn't be true, Carter couldn't be one of them.

Laura grabbed ahold of Carmilla's arm, stilling her. "What's wrong? What are you thinking?"

Carmilla shook her head, tears in her eyes, they will kill her.

"Carm."

Carmilla blinked, lip quivering as she quickly went through a mental list of everyone who knew about Carter. She was in kindergarten for god's sake! She was on file. Carmilla clenched her jaw, fingers flexing and unflexing as her nails drew blood from her palms. It was all her fault, why couldn't she have just let Laura find a donor? Why couldn't she have just not have been selfish for once in her life? She had practically painted a bullseye on her daughter's face.

Laura shook her head, "Carm, what is it?" She was frantic now. The last time she had seen the vampire this scared was when she had almost died by her mother's hand, when she was possessed by Lilita, Carmilla had managed to look smaller than her. Carmilla had been so afraid then, but none of it compared to how her face paled now.

Carmilla's hands were shaking, nails covered in dried blood. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them she was still; calm. She looked at Laura with full certainty. All the facts were there, their daughter's existence wasn't folklore. "Carter's a dhampyre."


	3. Dhampyre 101

"What the fuck is a dhampyre?" Laura exclaimed, sounding equal parts terrified and curious.

Carmilla sighed heavily, running her fingers through her hair and pulling to feel the slight sting in her scalp. "It was supposed to be legend, none of this was supposed to be real." Carmilla was panicking.

Laura watched wide-eyed as Carmilla sat on the edge of the bed and muttered, "This can't be real. Our baby is not going to die like all the others."

"Die?" Laura screamed before realizing that Carter was asleep down the hall and repeated herself in a whispered yell. "Die? Carmilla, you better tell me what's going on. You don't get to freak out right now, not without me knowing why you checked out."

Carmilla looked up at her girlfriend with tears in the corners of her eyes, it broke Laura's heart to see it. She slowly and as calmly as she could, sat down next to the vampire and placed a hand on her knee. "Carm, what's happening? What's happening to our daughter?"

Carmilla let out a wet and ragged breath. "The reason Carter is losing her teeth is because her incisors are coming in."

Laura's face paled, "Incisors?"

Carmilla nodded shortly before explaining, "Dhampyres are born from humans that birthed a vampire's child. Carter was born at night and she looks exactly like me, aside from your eyes. Those are just some characteristics." She bit her lip, letting it drag out slowly from her teeth. "When they turn six, they're aging begins. They lose all of their baby teeth and grow incisors, they start to become a bit more sensitive to light either in awe of it or hatred, and they start being able to see in the dark.

Laura listened intently before asking, "So what are the differences between dhampyres and vampires then?"

"Dhampyres have certain similarities in looks and in habits, but they live and die like humans do."

Laura let out a heavy breath, making Carmilla aware that she was afraid that Carter would live forever as a six year old, afraid that she would be the only one to die.

Laura froze, "But you said something about dying."

Carmilla nodded somberly, "Dhampyres are hunted specifically for being considered an abomination. They usually die before they're ten if the vampire can't figure out if they are one before they're six."

Laura's brow bunched together in confusion, "But why would vampires kill they're own kind? Wouldn't they want to protect their offspring?"

Carmilla shook her head, "Dhampyres have advantages that vampires don't, and they're seen as a threat. So like anything else that's hasty, vampire's kill them either before they're six, or try and protect them and become collateral damage for when someone who will kill them comes along."

Laura felt tears slide down her cheeks, "We're not going to let that happen though Carm; we can't let them get her."

Carmilla set her jaw in anger; she never wanted Laura to hurt like this, thinking that at any moment their child could be taken away from them. She stood, moving over to her girlfriend and wrapped her up in her arms. She kissed her hair, whispering, "It's not going to happen, we'll figure out a way to keep her safe." Carmilla couldn't help but think that they were sealing their fate forever, but she knew something for sure: if Carter dies, they will first.


	4. Sunblock

It turns out that Carter loves the sun, so much in fact that it's rare to see her in the house before the sun sets. Since she's a dhampyre, she burns easily like a vampire would, but the worst she could get is a really bad sunburn like a human would, which is why they go through a bottle and a half of sunblock a week.

They took Carter out of school, which she wasn't too happy about. Her greatest concern was if she was still allowed to have playdates with Sawyer. Laura had giggled and Carmilla had just sighed in relief to think that she managed to make it this far as a mother without fucking up. She couldn't be more grateful towards the fact that the biggest worry in her daughter's life was missing her friends. Carter was untouched by the crumbling reality around them, and Carmilla would do anything to make sure it stayed that way.

"Momma, look!"

Carmilla looked over at Laura who was falling asleep beside her on the patio couch. Carmilla nudged her, waiting for her to open her eyes before jutting her chin out towards where Carter sat in the sandbox calling for her attention.

"What is it, princess?" Laura called out drowsily.

Carmilla smiled to herself as she wrapped an arm tighter around her girlfriend's shoulders and pulled her close.

"I made a sandcastle!" Carter shouted proudly.

"It looks great, babe!" Laura said.

"Hey, I thought I was your babe." Carmilla teased.

Laura smiled, rolling her eyes. "She is my babe, but you're my babe."

Carmilla grinned, pressing a kiss to her temple, "And don't I know it."


	5. Innocence

"Mommy, my teeths hurt again." Carter whined as she stood next to Carmilla's desk. Normally Carmilla didn't allow anyone in her office, it was the easiest way to get work done in seclusion, but Laura was out at a dinner with her colleagues and she was on babysitting duty.

Carmilla peered down at Carter from over the rims of her reading glasses. "I know bumblebee, but it's just your incisors coming in."

"Inscissors?" Carter asked, mumbling around the fingers she had just stuck in her mouth.

Carmilla shook her head, "No, incisors. They're gonna be your new teeth."

A crease formed between the little girl's brows as she thought it over. She looked exactly like Carmilla in those moments.

Carmilla sighed, looking back at her laptop before shutting it. "Come here." She waited for Carter to lift up her arms before placing her on her lap. She pressed a kiss to her dark ringlets and rocked her softly.

"Mommy?"

Carmilla hummed in acknowledgement.

"Am I gonna hurt people?"

Carmilla's heart plummeted into her stomach. What was she going to say? She couldn't lie to her, even if she was five years old. She watched as Carter fumbled with the string in her hoodie, pulling on the frayed end to make Carmilla look her in the eye. She was smart for her age, Carmilla had a feeling it had to do with the dhampyre part of her.

"Yes, but Momma and I will do everything we can to make sure you know when you're doing it." Carmilla whispered into her hair.

Carter nodded before pouting out her bottom lip and crossing her arms over her chest, "My teeths still hurt."

Carmilla thought of an idea, she swiveled Carter on her lap to face her. "Do you want to see my teeth?"

Carter nodded, lightening up.

Carmilla focused on her gums, feeling the fangs slide into place. She opened her mouth to reveal them to her daughter as Carter stared at them wide-eyed.

"Whoa! Mine will look like this too?"

Carmilla chuckled, letting Carter poke them cautiously. "You'll have more than two, but they won't be as sharp."

Carter poked the other fang, staring at it in awe as Carmilla playfully nipped at the five year old's finger.

Carter squealed, pulling her hand back and laughing. "Mommy, you almost ate it!"

Carmilla smiled, "Sorry bumblebee, princesses are just extra tasty!"

Carter giggled, sliding off of her mother's lap and running into the other room.

Carmilla's smile slipped briefly from her lips as she stood up from her chair. She couldn't help but worry about how Carter saw her, and was beginning to see herself. Carmilla and Laura could only protect her from so much, but they were willing to do anything to give her as much of the innocence she had left. If that meant that she would have to chase a five year old around the house and pretend to eat her fingers until she fell asleep and Laura came home, then so be it.


	6. Erotic Laughter

Carmilla woke to the sound of the front door shutting, opening her eyes slowly and making sure not to move and wake Carter, who was sound asleep on her chest, turned to face Laura who was slipping out of her heels in the foyer.

"How was your dinner?" Carmilla asked quietly over their little girl's head.

Laura smiled softly, moving over to the couch and folded her legs beneath her, allowing her dress to ride up mid-thigh as she curled up beside her girlfriend and daughter. "Tiring, I wished you could have come with me."

"And what, distract you beneath the table like before? Sorry babe, business called."

Laura rolled her eyes as she looked down at Carter, "Yet something tells me you didn't work at all."

Carmilla hummed in agreement, "And you would be correct on that one, I had to keep our little monster here distracted from her incisors growing in."

Laura nodded slowly, tiredly. "I'll take her to bed since you've been with her all night."

Carmilla shook her head, "I don't mind, she's out cold, won't take too long." She stood up slowly, holding Carter's head to her shoulder as she wrapped her other arm beneath her butt to hold her to her. She looked down at Laura and smirked, "And I'll meet you in the bedroom in five."

Laura watched Carmilla take the stairs slowly before noticing her turn around to look down at her.

"Oh, and don't get changed, I want to undress you tonight." Carmilla said with a wink before turning back to head upstairs with her daughter cradled against her.

Laura swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. She shook her head, taking the steps two at a time to their bedroom.

XXX

Carmilla shut the door to Carter's room quietly and slowly made her way to the bedroom that she shared with Laura.

Shutting the door behind her, she let her eyes rake over Laura's body as she stood with her back facing her, removing her earrings in front of a floor length mirror.

Laura watched in the reflection as Carmilla strolled up behind her, leaning in to breathe against her ear. "Allow me." Her fingers ghosted along Laura's collarbone, moving around to unclasp the necklace she had on.

Carmilla smirked against the skin at the base of her girlfriend's neck, feeling the goose bumps beginning to form along her arms as she ran her hands down to interlace their fingers.

"I've been wanting to do this since you woke up this morning." Carmilla whispered, moving her hands to unzip the back of Laura's dress.

Laura could vaguely remember purposely walking back and forth around the room in just her underwear for a good ten minutes while getting ready for work that morning.

Carmilla pushed the dress off of Laura's shoulders, placing kisses in the straps' place.

Laura shivered, stepping out of the dress and turning to face Carmilla, looking up into darkened irises as she leaned up to press a kiss to her blood red lips.

Carmilla pulled away, biting her own lip instead of Laura's, and directed Laura towards the bed, pushing her down onto it. She slipped out of her pajama pants and Henley before crawling up the length of the bed to meet Laura, pressing a firm kiss to her jaw as she let her hand travel down Laura's stomach.

Laura sucked in a breath, already feeling herself wanting to let out small gasps and moans.

"Did I ever tell you that you resemble one of the seven wonders?" Carmilla asked suddenly, her fingers playing with the elastic of Laura's panties.

"Oh yeah? Which one would that be?" Laura asked curiously as she tried to focus on Carmilla's fingers that were slowly making their way beneath the fabric of her underwear.

"The Panama Canal." Carmilla answered, a smile all too familiar to the Cheshire cat's, as she slipped a finger into her girlfriend. "You're always so wet for me." She purred.

Laura burst out laughing, before moaning as Carmilla slipped a second finger inside her. "Fuck." She groaned, canting her hips up into Carmilla's hand.

Carmilla chuckled, pressing kisses onto Laura's neck and chest, as she circled her clit with her thumb.

"Close." Laura gasped as she rocked into Carmilla's thrusts.

Carmilla slipped her fingers out, quickly replacing them with her tongue, as she tasted the first wave of Laura's orgasm.

Laura's hands wove into Carmilla's dark tresses immediately, pulling her close as she felt her stomach clench and then tighten. "Fuck Carm, I'm gonna cum."

Carmilla moaned into her, lapping up the flow of cum before moving up to warp her lips around Laura's clit, sucking softly as her tongue caressed the underside of it.

Laura closed her eyes as a moan ripped its way out of her chest.

Carmilla slowly cleaned her up, taking her time to help Laura ride out the aftershocks, before moving back up to face her. Her lips and cheeks shiny with the aftermath, Carmilla smirked wiping it off with the back of her hand. "Yup, just like the Panama."

Laura rolled her eyes, slapping Carmilla's shoulder before pulling her in by the back of her neck, and kissing her breathless before pulling back and making a quick decent with her hand down into Carmilla's panties. "Let's see if the Victoria Falls have anything on you then, shall we?"


	7. Amusement Parks

Carmilla woke to a feel of something soft brushing along her collarbone.

"Morning beautiful." Laura whispered into her skin, her hands balancing her where she hovered over Carmilla.

Carmilla raised a brow, and groggily spoke, "Well isn't this a surprise, you never wake me up like this anymore."

Laura grinned, leaning down to press a kiss to her girlfriend's lips. "After last night, I think you might deserve to be woken up every morning like this."

Carmilla rolled her eyes, leaning up for a second kiss, before pulling away, eyeing Laura up. "You want something."

Laura shook her head.

"Carter wants something."

Laura shrugged, "I think it could be up for interpretation."

"You both want something."

"Bingo." Laura whispered, leaning back down to kiss her again.

Carmilla knew better though, pulling away she asked. "What is it?"

"I want to take Carter to her first amusement park."

"Laura-"

"I know you don't like the rides, but listen, I can go on them with her, and you can just be there to hold our hands." Laura persuaded, sitting up so that all of her weight was on Carmilla's hips.

Carmilla groaned lowly in her throat, hands moving up to grip Laura's thighs. "What's in it for me?"

Laura smirked, "You'll just have to wait and see."

centerXXX/center

Carmilla hated amusement parks, thought they were the second closest things to hell. With children screaming, germs covering everything, and the incessant need to create more and more dangerous death traps they called rollercoasters.

She felt the grip of Laura's hand in her own squeeze to grab her attention, "You okay?"

Carmilla nodded her head, looking at Carter who was holding Laura's other hand, and excitedly skipping alongside her. Carmilla fought the urge to chuckle, looking back up at the rides and shaking her head. Thank god Carter was still too little to ride the majority of the rides, it would save Carmilla from an early onset heart attack.

"Which ride do you want to go on first, pumpkin?" Laura asked their daughter.

"That one!" Carter said, pointing at the small ride with spinning cups.

Laura smiled, "Okay, and while we're on that, what do you want Mommy to win you?"

Carmilla shook her head, fighting the urge to crawl out of her own skin. "I can go on that ride."

Laura raised a brow, "Are you sure?"

Carmilla nodded, "Yeah, I'll take her."

"Okay, Mommy's gonna go on this one with you, and I'll watch because I'm not very good at the prize games."

Carter bounced in place, entirely too much like a miniature cupcake, Carmilla thought as she took Carter's hand. Ignoring the feeling of her stomach swinging somewhere between her ankles, they slowly made their way to the spinning teacups.

Carter quickly picked the purple cup, and they were settled in.

"Now you hold onto this wheel here," Carmilla instructed, "And you push it so that it will twist the cup."

"Okay." Carter said, putting on a look of strict concentration.

Carmilla rolled her eyes, looking out at Laura who was standing by the gate and gave her a reassuring two thumbs up. Somehow Carmilla knew those thumbs weren't going to save her though, but she had to prove a point. She couldn't be afraid in front of her daughter.

The ride was then started up, spinning the cups in and around the surrounding ones. Carmilla felt her chest tighten, and her stomach do flips. She clenched her eyes shut before reopening them, watching Carter squeal in glee.

The ride couldn't have ended quick enough, as the cups slowed down, and each door popped open, Carmilla quickly stood, feeling her head spin, and got off. She felt Carter hold onto her hand, following her out to where Laura stood.

"Everything okay?" Laura asked, looking pointedly at Carmilla.

"Can we go again?" Carter asked.

Carmilla grimaced, looking at her girlfriend for some pity, "I'll go win some stuffed animals."

Laura fought a laugh, looking down at Carter, "I'll go on with you, Mommy's gonna go win us some prizes."

Carter nodded her head, running back over to the gate opening, as Carmilla looked at Laura, "You iso/i owe me for that."

"No one told you that you needed to act all macho, it's okay, lots of people don't like rollercoasters."

Carmilla rolled her eyes as Laura pressed a kiss to her cheek and whispered, "I'll see you soon, kitten," before following after their daughter.


	8. Test Subject

"LaF, how many times have I told you, keep the test subjects away from Carter, she'll keep petting them when you look away." Laura said as she moved around the kitchen, looking for her wallet.

"Who says I don't see her doing it?" LaF asked as they typed something up on their laptop.

"Well just make sure Carm doesn't see, she'll kill you."

"Like she hasn't tried before, we're at a stalemate. Plus, I think she considers me a friend at this point."

"Oh yeah? And what makes you think that?" Carmilla asked from the doorway.

"Considering you're allowing me to babysit your kid while you and Laura have a little getaway."

"Actually I think that's because I'm here, dear." Perry said from her spot at the kitchen island.

LaFontaine pouted, turning to pull the box away from Carter's reach before Carmilla saw her pet the tiny test subject again.

"Alright cupcake, you've got everything you need?" Carmilla asked Laura, looking to her for affirmation. With Laura's excited nod, Carmilla made her way over to Carter, pressing a kiss to her head, and whispering, "Be good, munchkin," in her ear.

"Bye Mommy." Carter whispered back, reaching out to grab at the box that the test subject was in.

Carmilla gave LaF a stern look; "I shouldn't expect a burnt down house when I get back because of that dragon egg, should I?"

LaFontaine shook their head, "Probably not going to work anyways."

"Better not." Carmilla threatened, moving back over to her girlfriend.

"Come on grumpy pants, let's get a move on, don't want to hit rush hour." Laura said, swatting at Carmilla's butt so that she'd leave out the front door.

"I'll see you guys when I get back. Carter I love you." Laura said on her way out.

centerXXX/center

"Aunt Perry, can we make cookies?" Carter asked from atop her stool, wiggling the legs on it back and forth as she held tightly to the countertop.

"You are entirely too much like your Momma," Perry said, "But sure, you can have a few after dinner."

"Just you wait until bedtime, then she's all too much like Carmilla." LaF said from where they were looking into a microscope.

Perry ignored their comment, grabbing out the measuring cups and bowls she would need for her grandmother's recipe for chocolate chip cookies, maybe she'd set aside a few for Laura.

centerXXX/center

"We still managed to hit fucking traffic." Carmilla muttered, tapping impatiently along the steering wheel.

Laura smiled at her girlfriend as she sat in the passenger seat. "Hey, at least we're alone in fucking traffic."

Carmilla looked over at her, faking a smile, "Cute."

"I try." Laura said with a sarcastic shrug, as if it was nothing to be a smart ass.

Carmilla shook her head, "Keep it up Hollis, and I'll be forced to punish you."

"Promise?"

centerXXX/center

"LaFontaine, dinner's ready." Perry said to them from where she stood in the doorway, leading out into the backyard.

"One sec Perr, Jeep and I almost have the formula right." LaFontaine said from where they were hunched over the box with the dragon egg in it.

Perry shook her head, smiling to herself at their antics and headed back inside to make sure Carter was still sitting at the table where she had left her. The little girl had the habit of doing things she wasn't supposed to whenever her Aunt Perry had her back turned, and just as Perry had suspected, Carter was quickly sitting back in her chair the moment she had re-entered the room.

"Were you in the cookie dough again?" Perry asked, looking between the little girl and the bowl on the counter.

Carter giggled, hiding her hand behind her back.

"If you keep eating the batter, you're gonna get a stomach ache, and your mothers won't be too happy they had to come home early." Perry lectured, pulling out a tray to put more cookies onto.

"Yes!" LaFontaine practically knocked over the sliding door coming into the kitchen.

"Oh dear." Perry sighed, wringing the towel in her hand a bit tighter than usual.

"We did it Perr, Jeep and I did the impossible!" LaFontaine announced, their hair a bit wild and their eyes bright with glee and newfound information.

"Clearly not iimpossible/i considering you just did it." Perry said.

"Do you have left over meat from dinner we can feed her?" LaFontaine asked excitedly.

JP stood in the doorway, hands clasped in front of him. "She won't need much, just a small amount to keep her from biting our fingers while we examine her."

Perry nodded reluctantly, cutting up pieces of the chicken and putting it on a plate for LaFontaine to take out into the backyard. "Just keep iher/i outside."

Carter listened intently at the table, waiting for LaFontaine and Jeep to retreat back into the backyard before beginning to formulate a plan. She knew Aunt Perry would never let her go out there and see who 'her' was, so she would just have to wait her out.

centerXXX/center

"Carm, where are we?"

"Somewhere."

"Well, I can isee/i that."

Carmilla smirked, "Such sass, I thought that was my part in this relationship."

"Come on Carm, where are we?"

"You'll find out soon enough, cupcake. Just, patience."

centerXXX/center

"Aunt Perry?" Carter asked around a spoonful of ice cream to go with her cookies.

"Yes, dear?" Perry asked her back turned as she washed dishes in the sink.

"Can we watch a movie?"

"Of course sweetie, why don't you go pick one out while I finish up in here?"

Carter quickly nodded her head, slipping off of the chair and waited for Perry not to be watching her, before quietly going out into the backyard.

LaF and Uncle Jeep were nowhere to be found in the backyard. A table with a small box sat atop it with no supervision, a small child's dream.

Carter made her way over to the table, standing on her tiptoes to see into the box. She gasped when she saw what was inside.

Inside the box sat a small dragon with brown scales and tiny teeth gazing up at Carter, tongue sticking out of its mouth to lick at the air.

Carter reached out her hand, slowly lowering it into the box, but before she could pet the dragon that she had already named Connie in her head, she was being pulled away by her upper-arm, "What're you doing kiddo?" LaF asked looking down at her with their head cocked to the side.

"Petting her." Carter said matter-of-factly.

"Well you should've waited for either JP or I to be here when you did it," They said, hands on their hips, "But I guess you could pet her now that I'm here."

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"Here we are."

"What?" Laura asked, looking out at the empty field.

"This is where we're spending our weekend, cupcake."

Laura looked out at the field, not seeing much. Did they even have camping gear? "Carm-"

"Calm down Laur, I'm kidding, this is just where we're eating dinner. I got us a room in a hotel not too far from here."

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"There you are!" Perry exclaimed when she made her way out into the backyard and saw Carter.

LaFontaine quickly picked Connie up out of Carter's hands and looked guiltily at Perry.

"LaFontaine." Perry said wearily.

LaF laughed awkwardly, "Hey Perr, want to hold Connie?"

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"This is beautiful, Carm." Laura said as she sat on the blanket beside her girlfriend.

"It sure is." Carmilla agreed, looking up at the stars above them.

Laura nervously licked her lips, running her hands over her jean-clad thighs before inching her hands over to the bag beside her. "I'm glad we've finally gotten some time to ourselves."

Carmilla hummed, a hand running up and down Laura's back. She was laying down on the blanket, gazing up at the stars, her old friends.

Laura unzipped the front pocket of her bag casually and pulled the small box from it, turning it over in her palm a few times, before speaking, "Do you ever miss it being just the two of us?"

Carmilla shook her head, "Never, I mean I love moments when it's just the two of us, but Carter is my world, I don't think I would have made it this far without her, without both of you."

Laura smiled, "I think old age is getting to you babe, sappiness suits you pretty well."

Carmilla rolled her eyes, "Bite me."

"I just might." Laura said before looking down at her hand. "After doing this first though."

"Doing what?" Carmilla asked, looking over at Laura to see her shifting up onto one knee. "Laura?" She sat up quickly, looking at her girlfriend with a bit of fear and expectance in her eyes.

"We've been through a lot Carmilla, we both nearly died like four different times, we graduated together, we live together, hell we have a child together." Laura said slowly, as if she said one wrong word Carmilla would run. Commitment was never her thing after all, at least not strong doses of it. That was until Carter.

Carmilla stared intently at her, biting her lip.

"What's one more step at this point? I know you never wanted to get married, but I think I want to be yours. In marriage, on paper, hell if I somehow died a year from now, I would want to have you in my obituary as more than just my girlfriend. I'd want 'loving wife' to be on my headstone. I want a ring on my finger Carm, and a stupid document to tell the world that we belong to one another, as if we don't already."

Carmilla swallowed the lump in her throat, tears blurring her vision of the beautiful woman she never thought she would get, never thought she'd deserve, on one knee in front of her, asking for her forever. "Only you would mention death in your proposal, cutie."

Laura ignored her, instead finishing her small speech, "Mircalla Carmilla Karnstein, would you do the honor of being my wife and giving me a forever that I would want with no one else?" Laura asked, her own voice wet with emotion.

Carmilla smiled, fighting back tears, "Dammit, creampuff."

"What?" Laura asked, her heart dropping into her stomach immediately. She should've known, Carmilla had told her more than once that she didn't believe in marriage. This had been a mistake.

"Your fucking ring is in my night stand at home." Carmilla said, laughing, "You couldn't just wait another week for me to propose to you."

"Is that a yes?" Laura asked dumbly, nervously.

Carmilla nodded her head, pulling Laura in by her shoulders and pressing their mouths together. Pulling away, she rested their foreheads against one another as they both looked down to watch Laura slip a thin band embedded with amethysts around Carmilla's left ring finger.

"You beat me." Carmilla whispered.

"I beat you." Laura agreed.

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"Can we keep her Momma?" Carter asked as soon as she spotted Laura come into the house.

"Keep who, bumblebee?" Carmilla asked following her fiancé inside and setting her and Laura's bags down onto the kitchen table.

"Connie!" Carter said, holding out her hand to show Carmilla the tiny dragon.

"LaF!"


	9. Training Paws

It had been a month since Laura and Carmilla had gotten engaged. Carmilla waited a week to surprise Laura with her ring, promising her a forever whenever she was ready.

Since finding out that Carter was in fact a dhampyre, Carmilla had been spending a lot of time with JP and LaF. They figured out together that Carter could decide whether or not to stay a dhampyre or become a full vamp once she was older. They also found out that she would soon be able to turn into a panther too. The animal part was specifically made to each bloodline and personality, but because Laura had been human and still iwas/i human, Carter was most likely going to be a panther just like her mommy.

Laura was at work and Carmilla was in her study, finishing up the final pages of a book she was editing. She had set Carter up in the kitchen with her schoolwork for the day. Carmilla had started homeschooling her two weeks after they pulled Carter out of class.

Typing up the last few things she needed, Carmilla felt something smack the back of her leg, followed by what felt like a cat weaving in and around her feet.

Carmilla smiled, shutting her laptop and looked down at a small black panther staring right back at her. "Well hey there bumblebee, I see you figured out how to morph."

At a quiet meow, Carmilla chuckled, standing to her feet and left the study, Carter at her heels. "Finished your homework I hope?"

Carmilla shut the door to her office and grabbed her book from off the kitchen island, making her way up the stairs with Carter right behind her on all fours.

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Laura shut the front door and slipped out of her shoes. The house was quiet, which wasn't all too common. Normally when she came home Carmilla was starting on dinner while Carter talked her ear off at the kitchen table.

She put her bag down and headed up the stairs, hearing the sound of someone talking in her and Carm's bedroom.

Entering the room nearly melted her heart entirely.

Carmilla lay on the bed, reading from her book aloud to a baby panther sucking on Carmilla's hand.

Carmilla didn't even notice her fiancé coming in; she was slowly falling asleep when she heard Laura speak.

"Oh this is one for the photo album." Laura said, holding out her phone to show Carmilla the photo of her with her eyes closed and Carter in her panther form curled into her side.

"It's alright I guess." Carmilla said, downplaying the fact that she actually loved it.

"So she's a panther now." Laura said, leaning over Carmilla to scratch behind Carter's ear, hearing the little girl purr almost immediately.

"It would appear so." Carmilla said, closing her book.


	10. Lion King and the Laundry Room

"Just you wait kid, this movie is gonna knock your socks right off." Carmilla said to her daughter as she put the disk into the tray and pressed play.

Carter sat excitedly on the couch, legs outstretched. "We're going to carve pumpkins later, right?"

Carmilla nodded her head, standing and wiping her hands off on her pant legs. "You bet, I'm going to go put your nuggets in the oven now okay?"

At Carter's nod, eyes already glued to the television, Carmilla left the room to put the dinosaur chicken nuggets Carter had picked out in the oven.

"Hey Carm, could you come here a minute?" Laura called out from the laundry room.

Carmilla checked to make sure Carter was still transfixed on the movie before following her wife's voice into the back of the house. "Yeah, baby?" She entered the room to find Laura standing in front of the dryer, folding clothes.

"Did you just put the chicken nuggets in?" Laura asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"And Carter is occupied, yes?"

"Yeah, she's watching The Lion King." Carmilla responded, confused. What was her fiancée getting at?

"So we have about ten minutes right now to ourselves." Laura said as she finished folding the last shirt.

Carmilla was starting to get the picture, smirking as she moved the laundry basket to the counter before turning to pull Laura in by her waist.

"It's been awhile since we had to rush." Laura whispered, pressing a kiss to Carmilla's lips.

"And had to be extra quiet." Carmilla reminded her, turning them so that Laura's back was facing the dryer and pulling her up onto it.

Laura rolled her eyes, wrapping her arms around Carmilla's neck and pulling her in for another kiss.

Carmilla's hands immediately found their place beneath Laura's sweatshirt, beginning to massage Laura's breasts over her bra.

Laura sighed into her fiancée's mouth, pulling her in closer, feeling Carmilla's hands making their way down into the waistband of her leggings.

"You've been thinking about this for a little while haven't you?" Carmilla asked at the immediate warmth and wetness in Laura's underwear.

"Not my fault you wear so many sexy boy shorts." Laura said, pulling away from her mouth, "It's really not fair that I have to fold them and not be expected to get a little bit turned on."

"A little bit?" Carmilla joked as her fingers rubbed in circles lazily over Laura's clit.

Laura bit back a soft moan, "Shut up." Leaning back in to quiet herself with Carmilla's lips.

Carmilla smiled into the kiss, feeling Laura buck into her hand as she moved her fingers down to her entrance, thrusting one and then two fingers inside of her. She was so happy like this, quickly fucking her wife in the laundry room while their daughter watched a movie in the other room, waiting on her dinosaur chicken nuggets. She was so incredibly happy that Laura had promised her a forever, that they were engaged and talking about having a second child. She was just happy.

Laura felt Carmilla smile and wound up smiling herself, breaking the kiss and instead breathing shallow breaths against her lover's lips. "Close." She whispered looking up at Carmilla's eyes, losing herself in the darkness of them like she did every single time she looked into them.

"I know." Carmilla grinned, pressing forward, picking up the pace of her thrusts, as she quickly swallowed Laura's moan.

Laura's eyes fluttered shut as she felt herself tighten around Carmilla's fingers, flying over the edge as soon as Carmilla's thumb brushed over her clit.

Carmilla waited for Laura to catch her breath before pulling her fingers out of her and bringing them up to her mouth and licking them clean.

Laura bit her lip at the gesture even though it was nothing new, hands reaching down to grasp at Carmilla's ass before speaking, "Do we have time for me to get you off?"

Carmilla smiled softly, shaking her head just as the timer on the oven went off. "Afraid not cutie, its feeding time for the little monster."

Laura pressed one last kiss to Carmilla's lips before slipping off of the dryer and back onto her own two feet. "I guess we'll just have to wait until Carter goes to bed tonight."

"No, just give me five minutes to plate her lunch, I can come back in here once she's back in front of the television."

Laura shook her head, picking up the laundry basket and heading for the door, "Have you seen Lion King? She's going to need some comforting once Mufasa dies."

Carmilla pouted, "Fine."

"Besides, you know as well as I that it's hotter to wait anyways." Laura said, winking at her before leaving the room, giggling when she heard Carmilla's aggravated huff behind her.

"These chicken nuggets better be damn good." Carmilla said before heading back into the kitchen.


End file.
